Golgotha, Nev., is an unlikely place for humans to battle ancient evil, but that's precisely the fate awaiting sheriff Jon Highfather; his half-human deputy, Mutt; blustering mayor Harry Pratt; and runaway boy Jim Negrey. Angels imprisoned the Greate Olde Wurm under a mountain; millennia later, in 1869, Reverend Ambrose's zombie army is about to set it free. The Wild West was never as wild as Golgotha, nor as mysterious; everyone here has secrets. Jon is aware some things just can't be explained, but accepts whatever he must to protect his town. Meanwhile, the mayor struggles to reconcile his religion and his homosexuality, and an angel and Lucifer debate God's plan. Against the backdrop of Chinese and Mormon mythology and the Civil War, with a bit of Frankenstein for color, the mix of theology, frontier justice, and zombies is merely cover for an intense and irreverent exploration of good, evil, and free will. (Jan.)